


My Choice Is You

by Kat_of_Nine_Tales



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 22:40:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18508540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat_of_Nine_Tales/pseuds/Kat_of_Nine_Tales
Summary: A collection of Chlodine, mostly post-Lost Legacy. Partners, friends... maybe even lovers, someday.(Expect fluff and sweet sapphic love with plenty of smut when we get there. Will add new chapters when inspiration strikes!)





	1. Worry and Waiting

"CHLOE!"

Nadine called from in the air, having seen Chloe's spill and hard fall, the wounds Asav and his men had inflicted still throbbing and stinging-- and yet, as Nadine hit the ground and all but stumbled to her knees at Chloe's side, all she could think of was this... her partner on this job.

"No, no, no, Frazer... Frazer!"

She stirred, if only barely, Nadine's hands at her cheeks seemingly pulling something from the mostly unconscious woman. Nadine checked her pulse, tried to check if her pupils were responding to light, tried to pull Chloe back into wakefulness but nothing was working. Hell, she even considered mouth-to-mouth, just hoping that something she could do might help.

Why was she this bothered?

No, of course. She needed Chloe. Chloe was the expert, the thief, the one who had braved traps and solved puzzles-- Nadine needed her to find the Tusk. 

And yet... as she knelt there at the woman's side, staring down into the beaten and bloodied and bruised face of that thief... Nadine knew it was more than that. She might hate it, this strange feeling of being vulnerable in the presence of someone who was ultimately, literally vulnerable. Damn Chloe Frazer. Damn her witty jabs and her little flirtatious remarks. Damn her intelligence and her resourcefulness. Damn her ridiculous beauty, those wonderful eyes and the lines of her jaw and chin, the angle of her nose. Damn her for being knocked out and reducing Nadine Ross to... to worry. Fear?

Minutes pass, far too long, with Nadine being careful not to move her. She watches, frowning deeply, hands at her hair and face and stomach, grasping Chloe's thigh, desperately pawing at her in sheer hope that she might just wake up. Hell, maybe they both will. This was becoming something of a nightmare, after all. What was Nadine doing, trusting people, really? They all either betray you... or you just lose them. 

Nadine couldn't even begin to unpack just why that thought in particular stung so much-- Chloe dying --before the injured woman began stirring again. Another false start though, just little pained whimpers. It was over twenty minutes by this point, of sitting and watching her, just waiting and hoping. Chloe couldn't die, Nadine came to the conclusion quickly. It'd be another failure on her watch.

And... perhaps... Nadine liked Chloe. Being with a woman on this trip, the things they've discussed, what they've been through... Nadine felt close. Intimate, in a way? She hated but loved it. Rarely did she let herself be so open with someone.

Whimpers and hums sound again, this time accompanied by the fluttering of eyes and the movement of limbs, cutting Nadine's introspection into her feelings a bit short.

"Frazer," Nadine breathes a sigh of relief, hands settling onto her again. "Hey. You okay?"


	2. In Need of a Hot Shower and a Warm Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the events of Lost Legacy, and upon returning to their hotel following a lengthy discussion with the Ministry of Culture post-pizza party, Nadine and Chloe finally get to rest and relax.
> 
> But oops, there's only one bed.

They were practically carrying one another to their room, Nadine and Chloe. Sam was right behind them, having talked up the Ministry for his own free room (and room service) too and even he was slow to reach his door. 

"You know... we could still take the Tusk and sell it to--"

"Shut up," Nadine growled, leaning against the wall and glaring at Sam as Chloe fished their key from her pocket, offering each an amused glance.

"The Ministry already has the Tusk, Sam. And even if we agreed, we're too tired to go on a heist. Yeah?"

Sam blew out his cheeks, hanging his head as he opened his own door and peeked inside the room, making a face of... surprise? Before glancing to the pair. "Hey. You two sure you don't want to switch rooms?" He called to them.

"What, jealous we've got the better one?" Nadine asks, Chloe finally opening the door and looking inside with a low whistle.

"Certainly looks like it. Bigger, too, judging from the floor space." Chloe called, teasing. 

Sam just rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself, ladies."

Chloe and Nadine entered, laughing, taking a look around the spacious suite with the look of longing normally reserved for long-lost lovers; it hadn't been that long they'd been out in Halebidu and Belur but all the bumps and knocks add up, especially when you don't get much sleep...

"Ah... Frazer?" Nadine asks, brows furrowed as she begins working her boots off, being the first to spot it. "...Where's the second bed?"

Chloe pauses, coming to sit at the edge of the bed, letting out a long sigh after of both relief and an all new issue rising. "I did ask for two," Chloe says to her, eyes on Nadine's as she works her own boots off and tosses her bag aside. "It's not a big deal, china. We'll share. We're both adults, yeah? Besides, it's big enough."

"Ja..." Nadine says, clearing her throat, clearly working through a slight flushing of her cheeks at the thought. "First thing's first. We need to decide who's taking the first shower."

Chloe laughed, standing up from the bed and setting an arm around her waist with a slight wince. "Well... we could always share that too, you know."

Nadine scoffs and rolls her eyes, setting her own bag and holster aside, moving to charge her phone. "At least you're not suggesting we share a bath when we're both this filthy."

"I'm a dirty girl, china, what can I say?" Chloe retorts in that smooth, flirtatious tone, drawing a laugh and a shake of the head from Nadine who lets her hair down and lightly nudges Chloe towards the bathroom. 

"Go. You're in the worst shape between us. Take your time, ja?"

Chloe offered a lingering and grateful smile to Nadine, inclining her head in a nod affirmative before finally heading into the bathroom to peel her clothes off and leave them on the floor. She took the time to look at herself in the mirror, all the bruises and cuts and marks-- all the dirt and blood --sighing out. If only treasure hunting were more glamorous, eh?

As Nadine herself stripped down outside, Chloe stepped into the shower, soap and shampoo and cloth ready to scrub away the grime and the muck. It was... heaven, really. Delightful. Liquid fire scouring the mud and dirt from sore flesh, steam loosening her lungs, almost every bit of her was relaxed in this little self-made sauna. Special attention was paid to her hair while she could still get away with raising her arms so much. By the time she caught herself just standing under the water, ten minutes had nearly passed. 

And out she came, clad in a bathrobe with a towel for her hair, dropping her filthy clothes and the dirtied towel down by the bathroom door. Nadine was sat down, in just her underwear, and both women took a moment to look the other over: Nadine looked all 'rough and tumble-with-me' and of course, all cleaned and fresh and with her hair down, Chloe looked like a goddess made manifest. 

"Looking good, love," Chloe teased as Nadine stood, all hard muscle and scars and those achingly soft eyes. 

"Not so bad yourself, partner," Nadine shot back with a grin, heading off for her own shower.

By the time she stepped out, a towel wrapped around her waist with her chest bared and a slight scowl on her face, Chloe was sat on the bed having already changed into her fresh undies, tending to her hair.

"You could have told me there was one robe," Nadine huffed, moving quickly to her bag out of embarrassment. 

"Ah. I knew I forgot something," Chloe laughs. "Ah, come on, china. We're a bit beyond this, aren't we?"

Nadine just rolls her eyes again. "Being naked is a bit different when it's not on your terms, Frazer. But ja... it's not that big a deal," She finally agrees, slipping on fresh shorts beneath her towel before finally moving to gently dry her own hair, the pair set beside one another, quite obviously staring and eyeing the other's body.

To say it was awkward would be... well, wrong. It wasn't. Strangely, it was comforting to both. Not only were they both in the company of a good friend and newfound business partner but the lingering eyes... it was just different from the ones they'd receive from men. Neither was eyeing the other as prey, or as conquest... really, it was just admiration, plainly.

Chloe was attractive. Very much so. This was a fact-- one she herself knew and even weaponized sometimes --so she was no stranger to desiring stares. But this was just so _different_. Nadine wasn't just drooling over her, no; those brown eyes were filled with an almost reverent adoration. Chloe knew, she could tell from that look on Nadine's face, that the woman felt she was staring at the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Even after seeing both Halebidu and Belur... it almost felt blasphemous in a way. Like Nadine had found her new Goddess, all others be damned. Hard not to feel flattered under such a look. Even if Chloe Frazer herself couldn't handle it without blushing.

Nadine, meanwhile, was really just as attractive... but of course, to many (or perhaps most), she wouldn't be seen as such. Too muscular, too 'bitchy'. It was something both women had felt, being fetishized and treated as a 'prize' by men, all due to their skin or their heritage. None of that is what Nadine felt here, though. She didn't need to be on guard, she wasn't being made to feel inadequate, she didn't feel like some 'exotic' prize. She was just herself with Chloe. And the woman's flirtatious remarks and those eyes on her body actually felt... flattering? It was hard for her to put to words in her own mind, just what it felt like as they shared a soft smile. It was like when she'd find recognition from her men in Shoreline, when she'd feel a swelling of pride from her subordinates. But this felt different, too; more pure, perhaps. No strings, no catch. 

Chloe was the first to crawl into bed, to pull the covers down, with Nadine following soon after. Warm, clean, and oh so very tired... the pair settled in, facing one another at first. They each had something to say and both began, at the same time, interrupting each other several times as they tried to let the other go first until they were finally laughing and leaning against one another.

"No, no, you go," Nadine nodded.

Chloe just shook her head and bit her lip softly before whispering out a very quiet "Thank you."

Nadine grinned and nodded. "I wanted to thank you, too, actually."

"Oh?"

"Ja. This... trip. This job. I needed it. I feel like it's changed me. For..." She trails off. God, it's been so long, hasn't it? "...My whole life, really, I haven't felt very in-control. I always felt like I was born into Shoreline. Like I had no choice, like I was destined to take over the company and be a soldier and a leader. But you really have showed me I do have a choice, you know? I can do what I want to with my life. And I know that I want this, to be your partner, to take on this... treasure hunting gig."

Chloe could only smile, soft and genuine, eyes settling onto Nadine's with warmth and pride and a healthy amount of love. "You owe it to yourself to try," She whispers and Nadine agrees with a nod and a grin. "Thank you, Nadine," Chloe begins again. "You've already saved my ass more times than I can count on this job alone. You've had my back. And you were willing to..." She pauses, the feelings stinging at her eyes; the intensity they felt as Chloe decided to stop that bomb, the overwhelming feeling of being able to both carry on her father's legacy and fulfill his life's work...

Nadine curled closer, wrapping a thick arm around Chloe, closing her eyes and letting her friend settle into her shoulder. 

"Not many would have done what you did, Nadine," Chloe says softly, willing the lump in her throat begone. "You were willing to help me, to take on my fight even though we were both sure we'd die. You were... willing to _die_ for me, Nadine." Chloe continues but Nadine shushes, silences, her. A finger to the lips and Nadine shakes her head.

"I didn't. And I wasn't going to let you, either. You were the one willing to lay down your life for thousands of strangers. You could have walked away. But you didn't, Chloe Frazer. You..." Nadine whispers, pulling back, cupping and caressing Chloe's face with her hands. "Are one hell of a woman. Glad to have you, partner." She laughs, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Thank you, Nadine," Chloe whispers in reply, settling against the woman and becoming a tangle of limbs, the pair quickly finding sleep in one another's arms.

\---

The next morning, changing into some clean clothes, Nadine and Chloe realize they've slept in a little later than they wanted. Getting their things together, they stop by Sam's door to knock and check in.

Sam opens the door, clad in a big fuzzy bathrobe and with a smarmy smile on his face as he munches fresh fruit, the pair of beds easily and visibly seen behind him (with another robe even laid out on one of them, both apparently having been slept in...) as he leans against the wall. "Morning, ladies. Heading out, right? I think I'll stay here. Get my beauty sleep. That right bed is looking a little more lonely than the left, after last night."

Chloe can do little but stare and laugh, though Nadine actually reaches in to punch his shoulder before they turn to head out. Sam just winces and calls after them. "Hey, I offered to switch rooms! Ya couple of ingrates."


	3. The Found History, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An attack by Asav's insurgents draws Chloe and Nadine back into the adventure, on a journey that will ultimately uncover another Hoysala secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting from this chapter, I'll be writing a little adventure of sorts. I did (some very light) research and came up with an idea I thought was cool. It won't be the entirety of the work from here on out, after this adventure is concluded the fic will very likely be an avalanche of fluff and smut (after Nadine and Chloe finally get the time to do so)
> 
> I just wanted to finally try my hand at writing something more than PWP! So bear with me while I make feeble attempts to write this idea that's super cool in my head.

"NADINE, FLANK RIGHT!"   
  
"I'm PINNED DOWN, FRAZER."   
  
The horrible tear of a truck-mounted turret fills the market square as rounds rip through stalls and stone, Nadine and Chloe separated on opposite sides as the rebels pour in. Thankfully, Nadine's keen eyes and quick hands had kept the initial attack on the public square from slaughtering everyone present. The escape, evacuation,was messy and dangerous but unfortunately a stampede was really the only thing they could do.   
  
At least Meenu managed to get to safety before the insurgents' reinforcements charged the bridge. It seems without Asav they were desperate and stupid, which made them even more dangerous.   
  
Nadine dived to escape machine gun spray, discharging three rounds quickly into a man charging around the wall she'd taken cover behind; two into center mass and one into his head. As she scrambled back up to dive for the nearest, next, sturdy cover she grabbed the man's rifle and shot dead the man on the turret, blood and brain matter spraying as he fell to the dirt below.   
  
Chloe charged from cover to leap onto the truck as it bolted past, the driver uninjured but fanatical in his mission: to stir chaos and do damage and harm civilians.   
  
"Frazer!" Nadine called, watching as she clung to the side of the truck, struggling to climb into the bed before it slammed into a wall, grinding that side along a wall. Chloe was nearly thrown from the truck but managed to quickly aim that machine gun downward, firing into the cab to kill the driver. Unfortunately, this left the truck careening right back towards the market, forcing Nadine to leap from cover and Chloe to jump from the truck as it crashed into the troop transport on the bridge.   
  
Both women ended up in the remains of a few market stalls, groaning and attempting to catch their breath, shakily moving to the nearby temple to take cover behind its stone pillars as the remaining insurgents, trapped by the blockage, either attempt to climb over the vehicles, continue fighting or outright surrender as Indian Army soldiers enter the fray.    
  
"I suppose it was too much to ask that Asav's rebels just... stand down after his death, eh?" Chloe huffed as they tossed their weapons to the ground, soldiers coming to surround them, as the attack was brought to an end.   
  
"You are the ones who killed Asav?" One soldier asked, looking the women over and clearly thinking them unsuitable to such a task.    
  
Nadine just sighed, nodding, before stepping forward. "Ja. We did. And we kept him from detonating that bomb in the middle of the city."   
  
"They're out in full force, you know. Some have surrendered and turned themselves in but... the majority are still fighting."   
  
A couple of the other men shush their fellow but he shakes his head, walking Nadine and Chloe back to the newly erected military checkpoint.    
  
"Do they have a new leader?" Chloe asks, curling close to Nadine as if to check her for wounds.   
  
"They must. Without Asav's funding or leadership, they should be crumbling, not rallying. Someone must have taken the reins."   
  
"Asav wanted to spark a bloody civil war and take over for himself," Nadine adds. "He was ruthless and cunning but he at least had a strategy. This attempted attack on the market was sloppy; two gunmen enter with concealed firearms in attempt to slaughter civilians?"   
  
"How do you know those guns weren't meant for us?" Chloe retorts, leaving Nadine furrowing her brow in reply. 

"The trucks couldn't have been just for us. At the least, they must have been accepting of collateral, to do something that stupid."

Chloe nods, voice lowering somewhat as she leans more heavily against Nadine. "I don't like it, either. I figured the troubles wouldn't end with Asav but something of this scale, this quickly afterwards?"

Nadine scowls. "No matter what their plan was, innocent people were going to be caught under fire. They need to be stopped."

"I agree. But… let's just find out what we can, love."

\--

  
Meenu calls out to them as they near the checkpoint, a scraped knee and dirtied dress but otherwise unharmed. "Hello friends!"   
  
The soldier pauses, glancing between Meenu and the women. "You... know each other?"   
  
Meenu stands proudly atop a crate, nodding. "Yes. We are friends! I helped Chloe on her journey. She was helpless without me, you see," the little girl says with a smug grin, leaving Nadine quieting a chuckle. Chloe just rolls her eyes and nods in slight agreement, eyeing Meenu and the man before Nadine herself follows up with the question on both their minds.   
  
"How do you two know each other?"   
  
Meenu answers with another smile, something delightful to see considering the horrific actions attempted. "He is my father's friend! I have to look after him while my father is away."   
  
The mustachioed man just laughs, rolling his eyes and beckoning them away, further into the city. "Yes, that's exactly right. Where would I be without you or your sarcastic father?"   
  
Chloe cracks into a smirk, absently wrapping her arm around Nadine as the woman comes closer. They listen, to the young girl and her 'uncle', and to the chatter surrounding them as they make their way to the temporary HQ.    
  
"Negotiations" are short, entirely because of their donation of the Tusk to the Ministry of Culture: they're warned to leave India in case they were the targets in the attack. They give statements and receive a debriefing of sorts before Chloe, more or less, puts her cards on the table.   
  
She refuses to leave.    
  
All it takes is a little explanation of her position: that she can't just run when the continued rebellion and attempted revolution is threatening yet more innocent lives. Especially not after they mention that Asav's... explosive demise may have been the reason the insurgents have managed to mobilize so quickly after his death. It isn't their fault... but Chloe can't help but feel a sense of duty. After going to the lengths they did, how could she not?   
  
Nadine is with her; she won't leave Chloe's side.   
  
And while most of the officials still agree they should leave... one in particular is a little more accepting. Information is given and an offer proposed.

This new leader, supposedly, is pushing against the city and back into the slums to reach Asav's old penthouse and salvage the man's treasures to sell for continued funding.

Chloe and Nadine share a look and a sigh.

"We can help," Nadine begins.

"But… we will need a modest amount of pay. Considering the risks. Imagine the money we gave up in donating the Tusk, right?" Chloe follows up, trying not to laugh as Nadine continues, arms crossed.

"Guns, too. Rather not go OSP, ja?"

 

\--

On a rooftop in the slums, Chloe and Nadine keep an eye on the penthouse and the pink lotus.

"Remind you of something, china?" Chloe smirks, offering the binoculars to Nadine.

"A little too deja vu for my tastes," Nadine replies back, reaching over to gently grasp and squeeze Chloe's thigh. "Settle in Frazer. Reconnaissance is important."

"Awful," Chloe replies smoothly, fingers gingerly wrapping around Nadine's bicep. "Really, Ross? I almost feel sorry. How long did you have to sit and watch for that first night?"

Nadine idly flexes that arm as they speak. "You can see why I was upset with you being late and nearly crashing our cover."

Chloe laughs, low and throaty. "Oh, you're lucky you're cute. And ridiculously, wildly, attractively capable."

Nadine blushes somewhat, biting her lip in spite of herself as she monitors the area. "Eyes on the prize, Frazer."

"I do, don't worry…" Chloe sighs, looking back to the insurgents patrolling the building. "...And I've got my eyes on the penthouse, too," She teases, drawing an outright groan and a nudge from Nadine.


End file.
